Kathryn Schneider, researcher with the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Kinesiology’s Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, demonstrates experimental therapy on Chevonne Codd. The U of Chas found combining treatment of the neck and inner ear can lead to a faster recovery from concussions.Stuart Gradon
/ Calgary Herald

Kathryn Schneider, researcher with the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Kinesiology’s Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, demonstrates experimental therapy on Chevonne Codd. The U of Chas found combining treatment of the neck and inner ear can lead to a faster recovery from concussions.Stuart Gradon
/ Calgary Herald

Ash Kolstad has had headaches “every second of every day for the last five years,” since suffering his second concussion at age 12 while playing hockey.Stuart Gradon
/ Calgary Herald

It took about two weeks for 12-year-old hockey player Ash Kolstad to recover from his first concussion after taking a hit and smashing his head on the ice.

Five years after his second concussion, though, the daily pounding headaches haven’t gone away.

“I try to deal with it as best I can, I don’t let it ruin my life,” said Kolstad, who is now 17.

“But there are some days I can’t deal with it, where I just lay on the couch with the blinds closed and just try and let it settle a little bit.”

Kolstad, who had played hockey for eight years before the devastating second concussion, hasn’t been able to get back on the ice — or play any contact sports — ever since.

Today, he coaches hockey instead. And he tells young players to keep their heads up, never hit anyone from behind and always be aware of “who is coming at you.”

For athletes who sustain serious concussions, new Calgary research is examining how combining treatment of the neck and inner ear can lead to a faster recovery.

According to the Calgary study, published in the May 22 edition of the British Journal of Sport Medicine, treating both the cervical spine and vestibular systems in athletes means the patient is four times more likely to get back to sport within eight weeks.

Kathryn Schneider, a physiotherapist and researcher with the University of Calgary’s Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, examined a group of 31 patients between the ages of 12 and 30.

Each participant had persistent symptoms following a sports-related concussion.

The patients took part in either the standard protocol of care and rest, followed by graded exertion, or in the combination of cervical spine and vestibular therapy.

The findings showed patients in the experimental treatment group were much more likely to get back to sports after eight weeks, Schneider said.

Most individuals recover from a concussion within seven to 10 days, but for those who suffer prolonged symptoms, the new treatment could help, said Schneider.

“The study did show some promising results, which are quite exciting,” Schneider said.

Further study is now needed to look at several other factors, including which patients might respond best to the treatment and the timing and frequency of the therapy.

The issue of concussion in sports, including at the professional level, has become high profile in recent years.

This week, the NCAA settled a class-action head-injury lawsuit by creating a fund to diagnose current and former U.S. college athletes to see if they suffered brain trauma playing contact sports.

A similar lawsuit against the NFL has been given preliminary approval.

For Kolstad, his first concussion came when he was 12 and took an open ice hit during tryouts.

The second blow happened during the first five minutes of his first game that season.

“I was going along the boards and I got elbowed in the neck,” said Kolstad.

“I was hit from behind, so I hit the top of my head on the boards, then also on the ice.”

The hit sent him to an urgent-care centre, where the young hockey player was diagnosed with his second concussion.

The injury kept him out of school for at least four months. Even after he returned, he struggled with concentration, dizziness, headaches and nausea.

Therapy has helped deal with many of the symptoms, though the headaches and problems concentrating haven’t gone away.

“My head pounds every second of every day for the last five years,” said Kolstad.

He said he’s hopeful to see new research coming on treating concussions, though he adds that there’s still much to learn about effective therapy.

jkomarnicki@calgaryherald.com

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